15 Dec How to Be Successful in Life | Success Podcasts

Podcast Transcript: Welcome to the Inspirational Living podcast, brought to you in part by Book of Zen, makers of wearable inspiration for a better world. Today’s podcast has been edited and adapted from the essay As a Man Thinketh by James Allen, published in 1903…

Until your thoughts are linked with purpose there is no intelligent accomplishment in life. The majority of us simply allow our thoughts to “drift” aimlessly upon the ocean of life, which is why we so often unexpectedly crash against a rocky shore.

Those who have no central purpose in life fall an easy prey to petty worries, fears, troubles, and self-pity, all of which are indications of weakness that lead to failure, unhappiness, and loss, for weakness cannot persist in a power evolving universe.

We should conceive of a worthy goal and set out to accomplish it. This goal may take the form of a spiritual ideal, or it may be a worldly object, according to our nature at this moment in time; but whatever it is, we should steadily focus our thought-forces upon the goal which we have set before ourselves.

You should make this purpose your supreme duty, and should devote yourself to its attainment, not allowing your thoughts to wander away into ephemeral fancies, longings, and imaginings. This is the royal road to self-control and true concentration of thought.

Even if you fail again and again to accomplish your goal (as you necessarily must until weakness is overcome), the strength of character gained will be the measure of your true success, and this will form a new starting-point for future power and triumph.

Those who are not prepared for acquiring a great purpose should fix their thoughts upon the faultless performance of their duty, no matter how insignificant their task may be. Only in this way can your thoughts be gathered and focused, and resolution and energy be developed, which being done, there is nothing which may not be accomplished.

The weakest soul, knowing its own weakness and believing this truth that strength can only be developed by effort and practice, will at once begin to exert itself, and, adding effort to effort, patience to patience, and strength to strength, will never cease to develop, and will at last grow divinely strong.

As the physically weak person can make themselves strong by careful and patient training, so the person of weak thoughts can make themselves strong by exercising right thinking.

To put away aimlessness and weakness, and to begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment; who make all conditions serve them, and who think strongly, attempt fearlessly, and accomplish masterfully.

Having conceived of your goal, you should mentally mark out a straight pathway to its achievement, looking neither to the right nor the left. Doubts and fears should be rigorously excluded; for they are disintegrating elements, which break up the straight line of effort, rendering it crooked, ineffectual, and useless. Thoughts of doubt and fear never accomplished anything, and never can. They always lead to failure. Purpose, energy, power to do, and all strong thoughts cease when doubt and fear creep in.

The will to DO springs from the knowledge that we CAN do. Doubt and fear are the great enemies of knowledge, and those who encourage them, who do not slay them, thwart themselves at every step…..